Kelis is 10 years old and lives in Northampton. She has quadriplegic cerebral palsy as a result of a severe birth trauma called Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy, which left her fighting for her life. After 6 days in hospital and a further 5 days at Rainbows Children's Hospice for end of life care, Kelis’s determination shone through and with a massive 360 turn we were able to take her home.
From a few months old Kelis has done daily therapy, which has been key to helping her body develop and her brain rewire new pathways around the damage. She works tirelessly doing Physiotherapy, Hippotherapy, Occupational therapy, Hydrotherapy, Speech and Language, Conductive education, Strength and Conditioning,Home workouts, alongside some fun hidden therapy, such as cycling, horse riding, dance and gaming! Being able to access vital therapy interventions has been life changing for Kelis. Unfortunately, what is available on the NHS is extremely limited, very basic and sadly Kelis very often does not receive her full entitlement due to varying factors!
Since January 2018, with your incredible support Just4Children have raised a massive £59,141.99 which enabled Kelis to have self-funded, life changing, SDR surgery at Great Ormond Street Hospital, 2 years of intensive rehabilitation, followed by a further 3 years of vital ongoing therapy and essential equipment to support her in living an independent life and maintaining her level of mobility. On top of SDR surgery, Kelis has endured 2 major Orthopaedic surgeries, but this hasn't stopped her being a determined, strong minded and sassy girl in the quest to fulfil her dream of being independent. She is constantly getting stronger, despite the inevitable knock backs that happen post surgery. Cerebral Palsy comes with a lifetime of therapy and specialist treatments, and it's thanks to all your continued support and generosity throughout Kelis's journey that has made this possible, but unfortunately Kelis’s funds are now all spent, so here starts our fundraising journey again!
Just4Children's aim is to fundraise enough to enable Kelis to continue to access the vital ongoing therapies and treatments that she needs for the next 5 years. Any funds not spent will roll over to her next 5 year plan! Or fingers crossed, I win the lottery!
Kelis is so determined and driven and she has already surpassed all of our expectations with what she has been able to achieve since surgery and private therapy sessions. For Kelis it has been life changing and it has enabled her to go from needing a highly supportive walker to access her environment, to now only needing her AFO's to walk independently. This has made her world a whole lot bigger as she can now join in with family and friends to access so much more. However, as she gets older, growth spurts and hormones can cause problems for children with Cerebral Palsy, which continue to tighten her muscles and reduce strength and mobility, risking undoing all the hard work that Kelis has been doing. We know that with every extra therapy session that your fundraising achieves, her physical and cognitive abilities expand and most importantly her quality of life improves significantly.
It is paramount that Kelis can continue her necessary therapies, equipment and tailor-made orthotic treatment to allow her to remain as independent as possible. These will improve her mobility, keeping her muscles and joints strong and healthy, and allowing her to enjoy her life to the full like every little girl should.
Therefore, we are asking for your continued support in Kelis’s journey to allow this to happen.
* Charities pay a small fee for our service. Find out how much it is and what we do for it.
